Notes / Commercial Description:
The rich mahogany hue of the Nut Brown is the first thing you will notice. You’ll find subtle hints of both chocolate & coffee. We delicately blend chocolate & caramel malts with four others to make this flavorful, easy drinking beer. The malt character will appeal to those looking for a moderate dark ale, but the smoothness is what will surprise all.

Pours a two finger light tan head that fades slowly, leaving some lace. Almost clear amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Slight nutty nose. Flavor starts malty, nutty and just on the sweet side, brief hops at finish. $1.85 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma.

(Served in an American pint glass)
best before April (it was)
A- This beer has a hazy glowing brown body with a sticky light beige head that last a good bit and a gentle carbonation of tiny bubbles gliding to the surface.

S- The nutty toasted malt aroma has just the slightest hint of coffee roasted malt and a nice dry caramel malt nose in the finish.

T- This beer has a rich nutty dark toasted malt flavor with a touch of roasted malt blended in with some dark biscuit toasted notes also in there. The finish is a dry crisp finish with just a touch of grainy tartness which does not linger.

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with a fizz that is just a bit to strong and scrubs away the finish.

O- This is a wonderful beer that really captures the nut brown malts and has so much depth that it makes me want to drink more and more. Great session beer and I can't imagine this on cask but I would love to try it. It seems like the bottle was gone before I even realized it.

A: The ale is a solid nut brown color, dark with red highlights at the narrower points of the glass. The head exceeded 4 fingers on the first attempt to pour and a full three attempts were required. Despite the big head, there is little lacing.

S: The nose lives up to type as well, offering a caramel and nutty aroma that is strong on chocolate notes.

T: The first sip is heavy on the caramel, giving the taste a distinct sweetness. That sweetness is fairly shortlived though, quickly evaporating into a thin grainy malt flavor. The trick, as I soon discovered, is to take a sip and swallow immediately, rather than let it sit on the tongue.

M: The mouthfeel is decent, nothing groundbreaking just an enjoyable drink.

T: If the caramel and nut flavors were stronger in the middle, I'd be ecstatic.

Appearance - The beer pours a dark brown almost black colour with an average size fizzy light brown head. I can't see much carbonation due to the darkness, and there is an average amount of lacing. The head lasted for only a minute or two before it began to disappear.

Smell - burnt nuts, chocolate, coffee, malts, cherries

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation on the palette and the beer feels light yet creamy. I can really taste roasted almonds and coffee mixed with chocolate. There is also a lot of malt flavour. The beer finishes with a slightly bitter coffee aftertaste.

Drink - I was on the fence with this one, I think it might have a little too much carbonation but it was still a decent beer. Probably worth a try if you haven't tasted it already.

First imperial pint glass pours with a 1/2" beige head, which laces well. Deeply reddish brown brew, with a slightly nutty caramel malt aroma. Taste is similar to the aroma, caramel malts with a slightly nutty aspect, but there is also a slightly sour fruity flavor. Mouthfeel is average, I would want a bit more heartiness of grain in a nut brown. Drinkability is a bit better, with some interesting flavors to catch your fancy, and smooth yet somewhat thin body that lets you enjoy one after another.

Served in a standard pint glass. Poured a dark brown with copper highlights; not quite opaque, but pretty hard to see through. Quarter inch off-white head thinned into a consistent skim of foam. Generous watery lacing with some spotty adherence. Scent of malt and slightly nutty, but fruity esters are also detectable (reminded me of a belgian-style brew for some reason) in the nose. More flavors of malt; caramel flavoring is now pronounced, with a touch of sweet nutty goodness. Slightly effervescent mouthfeel makes this a very good session brown.

A nice dark coffee colored brew with a healthy tan head and average lacing. The smell is wholesome nut brown ale stuff. A little toffee, hint of chocolate. And mostly it's that good old nuttiness that you taste. A very smooth feel with perfect carbonation for the style, refreshing but tastey. I got a touch of bitter finish but not much. This is just a nice, pleasant brown ale, probably a good introduction for the uninitiated, on the sweet side. Very nice.

The appearance is weaker than I've come to expect from Ithaca. The color is a clear light brown. A small but creamy and compact head forms and dissipates after some time, leaving a thin ring of lacing at the top of the glass and no lacing otherwise.
The nose is prominently malts with a light caramel character and notes of roasted grains and perhaps chocolate. It's a little sweet with the light stringency some nut browns unfortunately tend toward.
The flavor is a bit better than the aroma. There's a bit more of a coffee note, the chocolate, while pretty weak, is stronger than on the nose, and the astringency in the nose seems to fade out of the flavor early on.
The mouthfeel is something of a letdown: pale, thin, and somewhat overly carbonated. The body is lighter than it ought to be.
Especially after Cascazilla, this one is completely unimpressive.

Flavors are about what one would find out of a brown ale. Pale and toasted malts make up the main portions of the front and middle, slenderly sweet sided and well rounded nuttyness unsues into the finishing areas as does a light surge of drying grassy herbs and cocoa. Clean and respectfully subtle but a little understated.

Feel is smoothly set within a light/medium body with a easy carbonation thats not boastful for a brown. Toastyness is light and paled, nuttyness is touched on with grace and finishes better then it starts. A welcomeing little brown ale. Drinkable and sessionable with an open margin to boredom due to its lack of depth and light flavors.

Pours a chocolate brown color, fairly light, small to average tan head that settled into a sparse cap. The aroma is of a light roasted malt, a nice nutty scent, and a hint of smoke. The flavor is of roasted chestnuts, brown bread malt, and a touch of metal and lemon. The feel is rather light and watery for the style, fizzy carbonation, finishes fairly balanced. A nice tasting brown ale, good nut flavors. The appearance and feel are a bit subpar. Overall a decent English Brown Ale, nice nut presence.

D - decent drinkability, it is well carbonated and has the potential to be quite flavorful

Overall - This particular batch, like I said, was expired last month, although I don't know how much one month's difference will affect the taste. It tastes rather washed down but has lots of potential. Hopefully my next tasting of this beer will be better.

T- sweet and nutty with some hazelnut flavor, similar to the nose. Roasted coffee bean and Caramel malt sweetness with just a touch if hops on the backend. The finish is dry, leaving a roasted nutty bitterness

M- medium body, moderate carbonation, just a bit of cream on the mouthfeel with a slightly smooth finish

O- I really liked the nutty coffee flavors in this one, probably not for non-coffee drinkers but I enjoyed it

Opens with a huge tuft of cocoa brown foam, which fizzles down to a thin ring of white suds. Body is cola brown with deep reddish notes when held to light.

Whiffs of caramel, roasted coffee beans, chocolate, anise, licorice and other dessert flavors tickle the nostril. It manages to be light and unconfrontational, despite all the big aromas on display.

Flavor is dry, showing off coffee bean and leather up front, followed by a sweet caramel, a little pipe tobacco and a Dr. Pepper-esque conclusion. I'm also catching a mild plum sweetness on the backend.

The mouth is smooth at the opening, followed by a dry and sizzly conclusion. A mild espresso bitterness hits the back of the tongue, making for a nice diversification of flavors.

I was certainly impressed with this underrated entry into the brown ale category. It's complex and drinkable, making for one of the best of type available in my childhood stomping grounds of Central New York.

I had a pint of this at the Amsterdam Ale the other day. I wanted something low in alcohol and the Nut Brown was the lowest (not including bud or guiness).

I've always hear about the classic "english brown flavor) and how great it is and I was never a big proponent of the style. This one however was very enjoyable. The nut roasty flavor really shines through. Color was a classic brown with a lightish head. Aroma was a combination of roasted malt, nuttiness and hops. Flavor was excellent. Again, roast toast, nuts and hops.

I picked up a bottle of the Ithaca Nut Brown on a trip to Albany a while ago. It is a very dark brown color with ruby highlights and a foamy tan head that fades really fast. A few spots of lace are found on the glass as it empties. The aroma is faint, but mainly roasted malt, dried nuts and slightly earthy. Each sip of the medium bodied beer begins malty. Flavors of coffee and chocolate move in and it finishes slightly sour. Some malty flavors are left behind.

This is a good nut brown that is rather drinkable and would definitly buy again, however I think I was looking for stronger malt flavors and more lacing.

bottle courtesy of good friend stopper! I am drinking a chilled sample in a pint glass.
The beer pours a clear mahogany that reveals deep ruby highlights when held to a light. A small beige colored fluffy head foams up easily and fades slowly.
Aroma is rich malty caramel and chocolate with some almond hints mixed in.
First sip reveals a velvety smooth body with average and rolling carbonation that fits with the general smooth texture of the beer.
Flavor is nice and malty. Roasted malt mixes with chocolate and caramel completely. The flavor is the same from start to finish. While not overly complex I really enjoy the taste and it is very easy to drink this beer. It is definitely on the sweet side, but not cloyingly IMO.
A well made and simple beer that I could drink quite a few of!
Give it a shot some day